The present invention relates to a process and a knitting machine to produce figured fabrics, for example fabric with inscriptions or with intricate variegated patterns.
It is known that there are at present on the market rather complicated knitting machines which are substantially defined by a crochet loom associated with a jacquard or jacquard-like device. The latter can execute patterns across the warp yarns of the crochet loom.
The knitting machines of the kind mentioned above are generally efficient and are able to produce fabrics with intricate variegated patterns. However they have some limitations; particularly it is impossible to completely hide undesired pattern threads in the fabric being formed above all in specific areas of the fabric itself, with respect to the pattern to be obtained.
In fact, it is not possible to eliminate the formation of chains or variegated lines with reference to the adjacent patterns whether the pattern threads are lifted or not, which obviously disturbs and interrupts the uniformity of the fabric ground.
In these prior art knitting machines the pattern threads are supplied by tubular thread guides controlled by said jacquard device. Said tubular thread guides execute, for each work cycle, a substantially horizontal movement parallel to the needle-bar. The length of this movement is a multiple of the distance between two needles in succession. These tubular thread guides also execute vertical movements capable of alternately bringing the tubular thread guides from a position below said needles to a raised position with respect to the same.
Obviously such a situation affects the quality of fabrics thus obtained that can appear unsatisfactory as to the patterns executed therein.